Concessions and rumors of concessions constantly abound in Israel. The most recent rumor of concession in the Israeli-Arab world is that Israel has agreed to give up the Golan Heights to Syria in return for peace.

The Jerusalem Postreported on Thursday:

Syrian President Bashar Assad on Thursday confirmed reports in the Arab media to the effect that Israel had agreed to relinquish the Golan Heights in exchange for peace with Syria. In an interview with the Qatari daily Al Watan the Syrian president claimed that the prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had informed him that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had agreed to cede the Golan for peace.The Syrian leader also claimed that Israel and Syria were exchanging messages since the end of the Second Lebanon War, adding that the negotiation track had heated up since Turkey became involved about a year ago. …”Olmert told the Turkish prime minister that he was willing to retreat from the Golan,” Assad said and claimed that Olmert’s willingness to cede the plateau was reiterated in interviews he gave before Pessah. “We have heard a statement by Olmert in which he said: ‘We know what Syria wants and they know what we want.’”

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem has stated that Syria is willing to enter into land-for-peace negotiations with Israel provided that these negotiations would not negatively impact the current negotiations being conducted between Israel and the Palestinians.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s spokesman has not denied the report that the Israeli prime minister is willing to hand over the Golan.

The Knesset House Committee will convene after their spring recess for the purpose of pushing through a bill that would require a national referendum to be held before any such concession could be made to the Syrians.

“We have to prevent political theft that would result in surrendering the Golan,” said House Committee Chairman David Tal. “Withdrawing from the Golan would result in Hezbollah terrorists entering the area and embittering the lives of the residents of northern Israel.”

Polls show the majority of Israelis, possibly as high as 80 percent, are against ceding the Golan Heights. The Olmert administration is conducting negotiations to cede the West Bank, parts of Jerusalem, and now the Golan Heights to Arab forces. The people of Israel and leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu are unlikely to stand idly by while this occurs. Yet if the Israeli people refuse to let their country be given away piecemeal, the Arabs are likely to retaliate in force and take the land they want by violence.

The Middle East is in crisis seemingly without solution. Yet a solution does exist. To find out what that solution is, read Jerusalem in Prophecy by Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry.